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Human Rights & Democracy

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Human Rights & Democracy

Teaser Video HR70

EU launches campaign to celebrate

70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 

70 years - Universal Declaration of Human rights

The promotion and protection of human rights is at the heart of multilateralism, a central pillar of the UN system, and a core and founding value of the EU.

This year we mark the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and join UN Human Rights in inviting everyone to

 

#Standup4humanrights.

 

The Universal Declaration is the cornerstone of international human rights law and its first article captures its very essence:

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".

Human rights should be universal, indivisible and interdependent.

While the international human rights system has come under increasing pressure, it still continues to show great resilience to withstand challenges.

Human Rights Defenders all over the world embody that resilience. These are some of their stories.

The EU stands up and continues to relentlessly support human rights defenders, to speak out against the shrinking civil society space, and to use political and financial action to support them.

They stood up, will you?

All Videos HR70

The European Union views all human rights as universal, indivisible and interdependent. It actively promotes and defends them both within its borders and when engaging in relations with non-EU countries.

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News stories
justice

#JusticeMatters : EU reaffirms support towards international criminal justice

17 July unites all those who wish to support justice, promote victims' rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world. "We shall never forget atrocities from the past but rather keep them as part of our collective human memory and determination to prevent future conflicts and genocides. That is why the EU contributes each year to the promotion of international criminal justice," stated EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on behalf of the EU, on the occasion of International Criminal Justice Day.

Wednesday, 17 July, 2019 - 14:34
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News stories
Photo by Shehzad Noorani - Children learn carpentry in the city of Agadir, Morocco

EU and partners fostering youth skills - young people's real stories

Active engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts is key to achieving sustainable, inclusive and stable societies and to preventing challenges to sustainable development, including climate change, unemployment, poverty, gender inequality, conflict, and migration. However, truth be told, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, inequalities, and longer school-to-work transitions.

Monday, 15 July, 2019 - 07:29
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Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, three girls laughing

My ID-entity: EU-UNHCR support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in pictures

"My ID-entity" is a photo exhibition illustrating how the EU and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) support refugee registration in Bangladesh. The EEAS and the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments hosted the exhibition to mark the occasion of World Refugee Day on 20 June 2019, following its previous stop on Place Flagey in Brussels, Belgium. The exhibition is symbolic for the joint endeavour by the EU and UNHCR to help and support Rohingya refugees.

Wednesday, 10 July, 2019 - 16:06
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International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, victims of torture, chained feet

EU and partners work together for a torture-free world for all

"Torture is a crime that can target anyone through different forms and in different settings, and all victims of torture, including those who are unacknowledged, neglected or overlooked, are at the forefront of our policy," High Representative Federica Mogherini claimed on behalf of the EU, on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, reiterating its strongest opposition to any kind of acts of torture worldwide.

Wednesday, 26 June, 2019 - 16:04
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Sexual Violence ©2018 European Union (photo by Anouk Delafortrie)

EU-UN work jointly to end impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict

“In parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is the first time in history that trials have been held in open court.... For the first time, the people in these areas saw offenders considered as untouchable punished by the law. This has led to renewed confidence and a sense of security for the population,” says Mr Muntazini, a prosecutor for the Special Penal Court in the Central African Republic, expressing his gratitude for the EU-UN project that has helped the authorities in enforcing the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Wednesday, 19 June, 2019 - 15:38
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